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JERUSALEM – The leader of Islamic Jihad in Hebron – believed responsible for the deaths of more than 20 Israelis in a spate of terrorist attacks over the past two years – was killed yesterday after accidentally blowing himself up during a fierce firefight with Israeli commandos.

Mohammed Sider, 26, commander of the military arm of the Islamic Jihad, died when he accidentally sent off a chain reaction of explosives in a bomb factory inside a cabinetry shop during a pre-dawn raid, Israeli authorities said.

Israeli troops had sent in a bomb-sniffing dog to see if Sider was either wounded or dead. Instead, Sider set off an explosive that killed the dog, causing a chain reaction.

Sheik Basal A-Sadie, one of the leaders of the Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, declared that “the killing of Sider is a serious Israeli crime. The Israeli military and the settlers will pay for it dearly. The reaction of the Islamic Jihad will come at the right place and time and will be tough.”

But Israeli operations commander Col. Mordechai Sadi insisted that “Sider was a ticking time bomb and that he planned a new attack to hit Jerusalem with a car bomb.”

Sider is accused of launching different attacks in the Hebron area, including a suicide bombing last year in which 12 people were killed in Hebron, including a high-ranking Israeli paratrooper.

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz planned to meet later with Palestinian Security Chief Mohammed Dahlan. The meeting is meant to reinforce terms of the first stages of the “road map” to peace agreement, which calls for Palestinians to take action against terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

On Tuesday, two Palestinians suicide bombers exploded themselves in different attacks, killing two Israelis and wounding 11 others.